Claudio Abbado

ROSSINI Il viaggio a Reims Abbado 4154982

. . . [magical singing] on the present recording by Cecilia Gasdia . . . Gasdia's presence in the performance is symptomatic of the talent, new or established, which Abbado and DG have been able to attract to the enterprise. The array is stunning . . . Two singers absent from the Sextet have memorable numbers of their own. The fashion-loving and flirtatious Contessa di Folleville has a splendid aria and cabaletta [sung by Lelia Cuberli] . . . and the piece, as she sings it, is a tour de force . . . [Samuel Ramey] does full justice to Sidney's big aria . . . and there is some outstanding obbligato flute-playing, too, by Wissam Boustany. Ramey also gives us a bold account of Rossini's splendid arrangement of 'God Save The King' in the junketings during the final entertainment . . . The Pesaro performances have been recorded with great vividness by DG . . . In every way this production seems wonderfully 'live'; there is a sense of adventure mingled with an unmistakable relish, a "joie de vivre", about the whole thing which one might expect when fine singers get together to restore to us a masterwork by one of their greatest benefactors. Abbado's conducting is masterly. His ear for Rossini's sonorities cannot be faulted. The wind playing is exemplary and the strings of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe wonderfully catch that peculiarly Rossinian sound, fire and ice at the same time. Rhythmically, Abbado is exceptionally brilliant; it is a very alert performance, passionate and precise in the Toscanini manner. The set is a triumph of scholarship, musicianship and managerial Enterprise . . . irresistible.